INSTITUTIONAL racism in Metropolitan police is “worse now” than what it was 20 years ago, Parm Sandhu, one of the UK’s former most senior female Asian police officers has claimed, adding that the Met is “not a safe environment for black and Asian officers".
“Institutional racism exists in the Metropolitan Police, and it’s alive and kicking and is worse now than straight after the Macpherson Inquiry,” the former chief superintendent told Channel 4 News on Tuesday (1), referring to the investigation by William Macpherson after the murder of black teenager Stephen Lawrence. It concluded that the Met police was "institutionally racist".
“If you’re a black officer, you’re about three times more likely to be investigated internally,” said Sandhu, who herself faced misconduct charges for lobbying on her own behalf to receive a Queen’s police medal. She was cleared after an investigation last year.
Speaking for the first time on-air since taking her employers to a tribunal and agreeing on a disclosed settlement, Sandhu (who has now left the force) said her 30-year career was marred by alleged repeated sexism and racism.
She also accused Met Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick of being “far removed from reality” and said that the Met police has gone “backwards” on equality on her watch.
Sandhu also criticised the Met chief’s idea of increasing the recruitment of BAME people in the force using positive discrimination, saying hiring was not an issue, rather than people of colour joining the police service are being “forced out or are leaving because it’s too difficult.”
“It’s that revolving door she needs to stop.”
Sandhu’s allegations about the Met Police came as the Home Office reportedly rejected the idea of “positive discrimination” to increase more BAME recruits in the force to fill in the race gap in the police.
Sandhu also recalled how at one time a member of the public racially abused her while she was on patrol, after which a fellow officer intervened only to tell her abuser, “Only we’re allowed to call her a P***.”
Sandhu is the only non-white female to have been promoted through the ranks from constable to chief superintendent in the Met's entire history. Her memoir 'Black and Blue: One Woman’s Story of Policing and Prejudice ' is set to publish next week.
Kulsuma Aktergetty images